Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 28.3 million tons in 2024, a decrease of 3.9 percent compared to 2023. 2024’s loadings were below the trade’s five-year average by 2.9 percent.

Loadings from U.S. quarries decreased 3.4 percent from the prior year to 22.8 million tons. Shipments from U.S. quarries were also below their five-year average by 2.4 percent.

Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 5.4 million tons, a decrease of 5.7 percent compared to 2023 and 5 percent below the five-year average.

Iron Ore

Iron ore shipments were also down in 2024. Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 4.6 million tons in December, a decrease of 4.5 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments were just slightly above the five-year average for the month.

The year-end total for the iron ore trade stands at 49.8 million tons, a decrease of 2.5 percent compared to 2023.

Compared to the trade’s five-year average, 2024 iron ore loadings were up 3.8 percent.

Photos courtesy of Lake Carriers’ Association